COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols for New Zealand Residential Construction Sites
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COVID-19 Health and Safety
Protocols for New Zealand
Residential Construction Sites
Purpose: The COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols for Residential
Construction Sites outlines the minimum standards to be implemented
at residential construction sites to manage the risk of COVID-19
transmissionon on site. These Protocols apply at Alert Level 4. These
Protocols supplement the COVID-19 Standard for Operating New Zealand
Construction Sites developed by CHASNZ.
OUR COMMITMENT AS DEVELOPED BY:
AN INDUSTRY:
• We are committed to working alongside
Government to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• As an industry, we are united against COVID-19
and will do our utmost to protect our workers, With support from:
the wider community, and New Zealand.
• We know that we’re in this together – this means
trusting that those we work with will keep us
safe and that we’ll do the same for them.
• We recognise that we must work together
to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing
of everyone in the supply chain.
Version 2 | 20 August 20211. WHO CAN WORK AT ALERT LEVEL 4?
There are only very rare circumstances where
construction work is permitted to occur under the
New Zealand Alert Level 4. These circumstances
are:
For projects or work activities of national interest
as decided by the New Zealand Government. A) BEFORE ARRIVING ON SITE A) BEFORE ARRIVING ON SITE continued
These would include maintaining essential • Identify any vulnerable workers as per the
» The business owner or manager is
infrastructure such as public utilities and/or on COVID19.govt.nz guidelines
responsible for establishing that the
behalf of the Ministry of Health in response to the https://covid19.govt.nz/health-and-
situation does, in fact, constitute ensure, unless
COVID-19 pandemic response. It is not envisaged wellbeing/about-covid-19/people-at-higher-
essential construction work under Alert unavoidable, that only one
that this would apply to residential construction. risk-of-severe-illness-from-covid-19/
Level 4.
To ensure the safety or security of the and ensure that these workers are not
» All essential construction work should
construction site. This means that regular checks operating under Alert Level 4.
involve as few workers as possible, Eliminate where possible face-to-face
and remediation of site security and safety • Establish communication channels
and only those that are absolutely
structure and equipment such as scaffolding, for workers to raise any concerns
necessary for the work.
plastic wrapping and fences is permitted. about the effectiveness of COVID-19
However, strict safety protocols will apply when » The business owner is responsible for controls or to identify improvement
undertaking this work or checks. confirming the health status of any opportunities.
persons working and/or living at the
Because of an emergency where there is a high site to ensure that they are not unwell, • All workers are to be provided with
probability of significant risk to the health of a known positive case, a close or and follow the Personal Health –
members of the public. This is expected to impact Guidelines in Appendix 1 of these
casual contact of a positive case or
residential builders and tradespeople called out to awaiting the results of a COVID-19 Protocols, to confirm they are safe to
deal with household emergencies such as test. If any of these circumstances are be on site.
electrical issues, significant damage to a found, then advice should be sought B) SITE ENTRY
residence, water, and sewerage. Further guidance from the Ministry of Health (0800 358
on essential construction work is available here. • Contact with any site residents
5453) before workers enter or go on to
should be made by phone to
the site.
establish safe working distances and
designated areas or off site and smokers
» The business owner should encourage access before entering site.
2. COVID-19 CONTROLS PLAN workers to become vaccinated at the • Location of all workers going onto an
must dispose of butts responsibly. Hands
Construction sites operating at Alert Level 4 need earliest opportunity by communicating essential construction site should be kept in a
to have in place a COVID-19 Controls Plan. This with them using material from the register or log that details their whereabouts
Government website here. Business and times entering and leaving site. This log
plan will guide how the principal or main
owners are encouraged to provide time is to be kept by the business owner.
contractor and contractors will manage work on
off work for their workers to become 1) Hand sanitiser should be used before
site and the controls they will use to minimise the
vaccinated entering the site.
risk of COVID-19 transmission.
» Business owner to establish the 2) Where applicable and required
These protocols are separated into four sections:
potential situations where workers will workplaces must also register with the
A) Before Arriving on Site be required to work closer than 2m, but Government tracer app and the bar
always more than 1m, from another code clearly displayed
B) Site Entry worker to complete tasks safely. https://covid19.govt.nz/business-work-
C) Site Operations and-money/business/get-your-qr-
» Resourcing plan is required to ensure
(including deliveries & visitors) code-poster/
those who do work within 2m of each
D) Leaving Site other always work together and • All people working at Alert Level 4
maintain a ‘work bubble’ that must wear a face covering while on
minimises exposure. site. This could be a disposable mask,
» Planning around any other persons on face shield, or other covering that
site (e.g., residents) to ensure they are prevents droplet transmission
socially distanced and segregated between the wearer and other
from the workers. persons. Using disposable gloves,
where safe to do so, should also be
considered although strict and regular
1 COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols for New Zealand Residential Construction Sites Version 2 | 20 August 2021 hand sanitizing is sufficient in most
cases.3. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
PROTOCOLS
Risk Identification
• Should any worker or site visitor become
suspected of having contracted COVID-19,
D) LEAVING THE SITE or become aware they have had contact with a
suspected COVID-19 case this must immediately
Sign out process: be reported to the Ministry of Health, their
Cleaning Regime (Responsibility Deliveries contracting company and to the Site Manager.
• Site Manager must immediately:
I. notify Ministry of Health (Healthline Advice
Sign out and wash hands with soap or use & Information line: 0800 358 5453) and
follow that advice.
Dispose safely of any single-use face
suppliers who will make deliveries to site have Contact Tracing:
coverings and sanities multi-use face
a COVID-19 plan and that delivery drivers will
coverings • Contact tracing will be completed by Ministry
Ensure that all work shoes clothing and of Health
equipment is kept separately from other • To support Ministry of Health, the Site Manager
persons at the worker’s residence and or should review records to identify all sites that
sanitised separately. the worker / visitor in question has accessed and
compile a list of all people that may have been in
» See this link on the Ministry of Health the same home within a period of 4 weeks.
website for more information about
cleaning: • Site Manager must inform all those workers and
https://www.health.govt.nz/our- their contracting companies that there could
work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19- have been an exposure, whilst protecting the
novel-coronavirus/covid-19-information- privacy of the individual where practicable.
specific-audiences/covid-19-general- • Workers who may have had contact to stay at
cleaning-and-disinfection-advice home until case and contacts are confirmed or
not in conjunction with Ministry of Health.
Site Visitors (including Council Inspectors)
Cleaning
• Before the sites in question can be opened again
a full sanitising clean should be completed
• Do not re-open site without specific approval
from Ministry of Health.
4. MONITORING /
ENFORCEMENT
We encourage all sector participants to take a zero
tolerance approach to any serious breaches of this
controls plan by either individual workers or companies.
These controls will be shared with WorkSafe, Local
Councils and MBIE / MOH. We expect that some / all
these entities will conduct audits against these controls.
2 COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols for New Zealand Residential Construction Sites Version 2 | 20 August 2021APPENDIX 1:
PERSONAL HEALTH GUIDELINES:
How to identify if you should be at work or stay at home.
Feel unwell?
YES
contact with
Do you have a history of travel to
YES
areas with travel restrictions? Do you have any of these
symptoms?
Fever
Have you had close contact
with a person with symptoms
(suspected or confirmed)
YES
YES NO
Have you had indirect contact
with a person with symptoms
(suspected or confirmed) YES
i.e., being in the same area for a
prolonged period (open office,
Suspected
Keep on the side of caution
and stay home
Self-isolation Advised to
not required? self isolate?
Isolation for 14 daysADDITIONAL RESOURCES The Ministry of Health provides full information on the current state of CV19. Ministry of Health: www.health.govt.nz The COVID-19 website is a Government developed website with extensive tools and information on CV19. Official COVID-19 website: www.covid19.govt.nz The CHASNZ website has tools and resources for the construction industry www.chasnz.org/covid19 The Site Safe website has tools specific for the construction industry. You can find toolboxes for all types of situations and general information on CV19. Site Safe: www.sitesafe.org.nz/news--events/covid-19/ Mates in Construction has a range of tools available relating to mental health and wellbeing: www.mates.net.nz COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols for New Zealand Residential Construction Sites Version 2 | 20 August 2021
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